Week 15 & 16 Recap
Good Rainy Day Friday Parents. We have been busy, busy, busy the last two weeks. We have taken the winter MAP reading, math, and language usage assessments as well as our F & P assessment. Once I have compiled all the data, I will forward the scores home in the Wednesday folders hopefully next week. Also the Unit 3 math assessment scores will be sent home on Wednesday as well. Please sign the assessments and return them promptly so that I can record an accurate score in my grade book. In reading we read passages and identified text evidence to support our responses to comprehension questions. In math we converted grams to kilograms and kilograms to grams, liters to milliliters and milliliters to liters, and we learned two new strategies for multiplying - partitioned rectangles and partial products. In social studies we delved deeper into the three branches of government. In science we reviewed the order of the planets and constellations. Lastly, have an enjoyable weekend.

Good Friday Afternoon Parents. We are in the middle of second quarter. In math we can convert meters to centimeters and centimeters to millimeters. We will take our Unit 3 assessment bright and early Monday morning. In reading we are learning howto look for clue words to tell us whether the text is written in first or third person. In writing we wrote a persuasive essay for employment as an elf focusing on character traits. For social studies we discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. In science we learned about the tools of astronomers and illustrated the lunar cycle. Progress reports will be coming home in Wednesday folders next week. Please have a safe weekend.

Good Afternoon Parents. We are advancing our way through the second quarter standards. In our math lessons we learned how to compare fractions with like numerators, like denominators, unlike denominators, and using 0, 1/2, and 1 as benchmarks as well as how to find/calculate equivalent fractions. In reading we learned about the five text structures of informational texts - chronological order, compare & contrast, cause & effect, problem & solution, and description. In social studies we reviewed and discussed the causes and battles of the American Revolution while incorporating the four main principles of the Declaration of Independence. In science we learned about the eight planets including our mnemonic - My very excellent mother just served us noodles - for the order of the planets from the sun. Please enjoy your weekend and Thanksgiving holiday.

Hello Proud Parents. We entered second quarter with full steam ahead. We completed our unit 2 math studies by classifying triangles and quadrilaterals using their properties and looking at the four types of input/output tables. In reading we looked at how authors use evidence to support particular points. We added more entries to our journals, wrote why we should be drug free, and wrote letters to our book buddies during our writing block. In social studies we discussed the cooperation and conflicts among the Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans and the caused of the American Revolution. In science we created weather maps, discovered the difference between climate and weather, and created a K-W-L chart for the solar system. Finally I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the parents that attended a conference this week. Together we can make a difference. Please enjoy the glimpse of fall weather this weekend and the extra hour of sleep.

Good Afternoon Everyone. We are diligently mastering the firs tquarter fourth grade standards. Math presented us with the challenge of multiples, prime and composite numbers, and multiplicative comparisons. Reading has us looking at similar themes across a variety of media. We will draft our final copies of what's in the brown bag Monday and move into writing memoirs.Social studies had us looking at the English, Dutch, Spanish, and French settlements in the New World. For science we looked at interpreting weather maps and how to prepare for severe weather systems like thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Please reference the Wednesday folders next week for conference information. Have a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Hello All. We continued to bulldoze our way through the fourth grade standards this week. In math we took our Unit 1 assessment (Look for it in the Wednesday folders next week. Please sign it and return it so your fourth grader can receive 5 bonus points.) and began looking at the area of rectangles and factor pairs for various numbers. In reading we are making inferences based on our prior knowledge and evidence in the text. We are working our way through the writing process trying to build in clues about what could possibly be in a closed brown bag that is wiggling on the teacher's desk. We discussed details about the seven explorers including where they came from and the lands that they claimed in the New World during our social studies time. In science we are still barreling through our weather unit and we discussed the four main cloud types. We hope to MAP test next week so there may be some interruptions in our instructional time. Thank you for signing the Acceptable Use Policy sent home this week. Your students are being issued their devices and I hope to fully incorporate technology within the next two weeks. Please take the time to rest and rejuvenate over the weekend.

Good Afternoon Everyone. We had quite an eventful week. During our math power hour we learned about various geometric properties - points, endpoints, lines, line segments, rays, angles,triangles, quadrilaterals - just to name a few, as well as how to calculate the perimeter of rectangles. In reading we heard some read alouds to help us continue to learn how characters confront and resolve conflicts within a story. In writing we submitted our final drafts of our memorable field trips, we wrote about unpredictable weather affecting our plans, we summarized how Native Americans arrived to the New World. We are writing across the curriculum in all content areas to become better authors. The Age of Exploration is our current unit of study in social studies. We diligently took notes and discussed the reasons for exploration and three of the seven explorers. Finally, we now know the tools that meteorologists use to determine the temperature, wind speed and direction, and amount of rainfall. I hope you all have a pleasurable weekend.

Happy Friday Parents. We are busy worker bees as we navigate through the fourth grade standards. In math we attacked the US traditional addition and subtraction strategies. We will get more practice with subtraction problems involving regrouping. During our reading block we learned about the young Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through the eyes of his sister and how main characters resolved conflicts while continuing to summarize passages. In writing we began working our way through the writing process as we reminisced about field trips taken in the past. We created a flipbook about the Native American groups that settled in North America and denoted where they settled on a map. Lastly, science brought us through the water cycle. We now know about evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and run-off. Enjoy lots of family time this weekend. I look forward to seeing all my fourth graders bright and early on Monday morning.

Good Friday Afternoon Parents. We are rocking and rolling in room Q-20. We completed all of our beginning of the year assessments excluding MAP testing. In math we are in the process of achieving automaticity with our basic multiplication facts through 6 x 12, rounding numbers through the hundred thousands place, and estimating numbers using three different strategies - rounding to the largest place value, front-end estimation, and close-to estimation. Our language arts block included building our reading stamina, identifying the main idea of a passage, summarizing a passage using key details in a graphic organizer, reviewing the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing), and completing daily journal entries. In social studies we learned that Native Americans crossed the Beringia Landbridge from Asia into North America and later South America. Our science lessons this week focused on our weather unit where we learned that the closest atmosphere to Earth is the troposphere which consists mainly of nitrogen and oxygen. Please encourage your fourth grader to read a good book this weekend. Thank you for all you do to ensure we have a productive school year.

Good Afternoon Parents. We hit the ground running with our beginning of the year assessments this week. They will continue into next week as well. We reviewed our basic multiplication facts through 5 x 12, rounded numbers, expanded numbers, and discussed the relationship among various place values in math.We continued to build our reading stamina to reach our goal of 30 minutes. We read about the geographical regions of the United States. We attempted to construct a tower using straws, 6 inches of tape, a paper clip, and a ruler that would hold a golf ball. We will give that structural engineering hat another try next week. When all is said and done, we were quite busy preparing ourselves for next week's lessons that will all be based on fourth grade standards. Please enjoy this extended Labor Day weekend. I look forward to seeing our fourth graders bright and early Tuesday morning.

Good Afternoon Parents. We have completed the first week of fourth grade. We reviewed adding and subtracting two digit numbers and our 2 & 3 multiplication tables in math. We are building our reading stamina so we can read uninterrupted for 30 minutes when we begin our guided reading group rotations. We located the seven continents and five oceans on a map as well as learned the differences between political maps and physical maps.We completed some team building and critical thinking activities involving Lego blocks and building towers. We went through the scientific method using two brands of popsicles to determine which brand was the best. Lastly we shared our me boxes this morning to get better acquainted. We are off to a great start.Please enjoy your weekend. I would like to thank you all for allowing me the pleasure of teaching your fourth grader this school year.

Students will decorate and fill a box with objects that help to define who they are so we can become better acquainted, develop a rapport, and build a supportive classroom community. Rubrics will be sent home on Monday, August 20th and projects are due Friday, August 24th.